I'm teetering on this guy. I don't collect 1/6th, but he looks gorgeous. Articulation is holding me back, along with the Terrible President Tax... $250 flat would be one thing, but paying an extra $23 on an unnecessary purchase to help subsidize tax cuts for rich people is salt in the wound, and pops the dopamine bubble. Does it get refunded if tariffs are repealed before release? If not, it should be included in the base price.
I'm usually a only one figure per character kinda collector, with a couple exceptions, though TMNT is the property where I feel differently. One of the unique things about the brand is that from the jump, the three primary ways it reached culture all looked and felt extremely unique. The comic, the cartoon, and the movie all overlapped a little, but they each were definitely their own interpretation of the core idea, and they each had such a dramatically distinct visual aesthetic and tone.
Even the comic changed so much visually during a relatively short period. Since the characters themselves aren't just people in a suit, the interpretation of their entire morphology is up for grabs. So it's always been about an artists' take, for me, than a costume change. It isn't just a new hat, it's a new paradigm for the art.
May that help many wives be reassured that this is a necessary purchase
One other thing that I think is cool about TMNT is how it balances so many conflicting tones. Stupid and profound, modern and old, funny and poignant, mainstream and underground, cute and badass—it is as chimeric as its characters. For this version, the eye gimmick is a huge selling point. The Hensony sweetness and the white eyed coolness in one figure brings a lot to one set.
I only wish they included symmetrical knee and elbow pads to swap out with the purple ones. It would feel more complete as a set if you could return to original recipe if you so pleased.
I'm definitely on the fence and could fall either way.
